Helicopter operators worldwide increasingly are implementing night vision imaging system (NVIS) operations to improve safety margins through greater visibility at night. NVIS enable flight crews to better see obstacles, terrain and developing weather, contributing to greater situational awareness and reducing stress during nighttime flight. NVIS operations significantly reduce the risk of visual night operations compared with the same operation conducted unaided.
But NVIS operations also can entail risks, particularly if users are not properly trained and prepared. “Typically, these risks are associated with the user of the equipment and the nature of their operations and not the night vision goggles (NVG) themselves,” said Tony Tsantles, senior NVG flight instructor at Aviation Specialties Unlimited. (NVGs are one part of an NVIS, which also includes NVG-compatible cockpit lighting and other components designed to aid NVG use.)
NVGs are not intended to turn night into day bu…
